Worth Fighting For
by qwertygal
Summary: A re-imagining of the Time Team's mission in North Korea. The team receives assistance from an unlikely source-someone their history says shouldn't even be there, but who is able to confirm for one team member why they fight. Told in two parts, with the first chapter Lucy's POV and the second chapter Wyatt's POV.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello Clockblocker friends!_

 _It's been far too long since I posted something new - hope you enjoy this story inspired by A Christmas Miracle! This is a re-imagining of a part of the Time Team's mission in North Korea. There was something I wanted to see in Korea that didn't happen in the movie...so I decided to make it happen in fic! A huge thank you to OnceUponAWhim for her beta read and ideas -but know that any grammar/spelling/word choice/typo errors are all mine._

 _Please let me know your thoughts in the review box!_

* * *

The port was alive with a hustle and bustle of a community five times its size. People of all ages and sizes filling the dirt streets with carts and bikes, cattle and baskets, all on a mission to get out-and to get out now. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people, all on a quest for the port town's docks. A mix of fear, anticipation, and hope filled the air. Lucy stepped to the side as a rickety but fast-moving cart missed her toes by inches.

Rufus pulled her back onto the road. "So in just a few hours they bomb this whole place?"

"Can't leave any supplies behind for the enemy," Lucy shrugged.

Rufus nodded. "But everyone makes it out alive, right?"

Lucy smiled. "They did."

"All these people are getting on one ship?"

She shook her head, "There are actually a few ships in port today-but they've already evacuated close to 200,000 people! Between December 9 and Christmas Eve, nearly 100 vessels transported civilians and military from here to Busan, in the South." She started forward with conviction in her renewed attempt to reach the M.A.S.H unit. Jostled again by a group of men running toward a truck depot, she paused, swinging her head to try and find her bearings.

Rufus pointed over her left shoulder, "There."

"Where?"

"That way," his hands dropping to her shoulders, he gently turned her until she was staring at the large tent which, given the red cross on its roof, was their destination.

She moved forward, continuing, "All of these people…. Did you know they estimate there are nearly a million descendants of those rescued at Hungnam living around the globe today. Well, I mean in our today." She smiled as Rufus gave an impressed whistle. "It shows you just how significant saving people can be." They were standing in front of the large tent now, and she looked back at Rufus, "Well, this is where we can find some help."

"This is the M.A.S.H facility?"

She nodded-"Not what you were expecting?"

Two men clad in scrubs raced by them toward the tent.

"Well….I mean I was expecting more wise-cracking surgeons, crossdressing corporals, and home-made stills I guess, but if there are doctors and nurses here….that's all that matters."

She laughed. Turning away from him, she began striding with purpose toward the hospital's main tent. "Well, let's go find some help."

At that moment, the doors swung open and two men stepped outside-one clearly a Senior Officer.

 _Was that actually them?_ Lucy's mind spun through her memory of photos and accounts of the time. Convinced, she turned back to Rufus. "Oh my gosh, Rufus-that's Colonel Forney, and Dr. Hyun Bong Hak beside him! They're the real heroes behind this entire operation. They convinced General Almond not to leave _any_ refugees behind!" she moved toward the two men, "Colonel Forney, sir?"

The man approached, a surprised expression on his face, "Ma'am why haven't you evacuated?"

 _Indeed, why hadn't she? For that matter, what possible reason would he believe for her to even be here?_ There was only one play she could think of.

"I'm a war correspondent, Lucy Preston. I work with Maggie Higgins."

"Bu-we put Maggie on a plane, days ago!"

"I know, we got separated."

"We need to get you on a boat," there was growing exasperation in the man's tone.

And they didn't have time for that.

"Of course, of course, but Private Carlin here," she suppressed a grin as Rufus attempted to salute the superior officer, "He came across a refugee who's gone into labour, we need a….a nurse or a doctor," she looked at the Colonel, pleadingly, "As soon as possible."

The Colonel shook his head, "Ah, M.A.S.H. unit's jammed up with injured patients we need everyone we got"

"Sir, please!"

"Ma'am!" he shook his head emphatically, "I gotta make sure everyone in this port gets out safely, okay?" Then his face softened. "I don't know, maybe you can find a midwife….."

Hope began draining from her heart. _Where would they find a midwife now? Eung-Hee had risked her life for them, she had to help her_ …. Lucy's thoughts trailed away as she saw Dr. Hak move toward them then.

"I-I'll take care of this, Colonel," he said softly.

She couldn't believe their luck, "Really?"

Colonel Forney smiled, and patted the doctor's shoulder in thanks, "Okay."

Lucy nodded, "Okay, let's go!"

"Dr. Hak! Dr. Hak!"

The shouts were muffled, coming from inside the OR tent, but their meaning was still easily understood by Lucy. _So much for our luck_.

The Doctor spun back toward the tent. The shouts became clear and somehow even more urgent as a young man burst through the doors.

"Orderly? What's wrong?" asked Dr. Hak.

"The soldier from this morning, the shrapnel….the nurses said to get you immediately."

Dr. Hak moved toward the doors of the OR, then hesitated, turning back to face Lucy. "I'm sorry, I have to take care of this. As Colonel Forney said, maybe a midwife from one of the villages is here in port today."

"Go, go," said Lucy, "We understand." She watched him as he disappeared back through the doors to attend to his patient. "Rufus, what do we do now?"

"Excuse me, Colonel Forney?" a soft voice came from behind them. Lucy turned to see a young woman holding a first-aid kit.

"Yes, nurse…."

"Nurse McRae," she supplied. "I overheard what….well, I was just sent to go back to my quarters to pack, since my shift was done, to get ready to leave…." she trailed off, suddenly looking unsure.

Lucy wondered if she had ever had opportunity to speak directly to the Colonel before-it seemed unlikely. Lucy gave her a soft smile.

Nurse McRae nodded in return and, her confidence seeming to strengthen, she continued. "Sir, back home in Montana….well, I've delivered more babies than I can count….I'd like to help."

Colonel Forney appraised the woman, and glanced back at Lucy. "Okay-take any supplies you might need."

"Yes sir," she replied.

"Thank you, sir," said Lucy, relief flooding through her. She touched the woman's shoulder, "This way," she motioned back down the road the way they came, "We should hurry. Come on!" The trio went to move down the road.

"Wait!" the Colonel's voice boomed from behind them. "Private-do you have a weapon?"

Lucy's eyes met Rufus' which were wide with uncertainty.

"Private—that's you," Lucy hissed barely audibly at him.

'I _know_ ' Rufus mouthed, concern growing in his eyes.

Lucy motioned behind them at the Colonel, 'Say something', she mouthed.

Rufus turned back toward the Colonel, apprehension clear on his face. "Uh….no. No sir, I don't."

"We'll then you're not going-not until we find you something," the Colonel said.

"Uhhhhh…." Rufus spun back to look at Lucy, the consternation clear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we just don't have time, we really need to get going." Lucy said.

"Yeah," said Rufus, "We'll just go…."

Colonel Forney's face turned hard. "Soldier, there is no way that I am allowing these two women to get a foot closer to enemy lines without armed protection-"

"With all due respect, sir," began Lucy, "There are more woman than you can count already too close to enemy lines-we're trying to help one of them-"

"Sir?" Lucy spun around to see the owner of the new voice that had entered the discussion. An enlisted man, perhaps a few years younger than her, with close cropped dark hair.

The soldier nodded at her in greeting, and said, "I'll go with them. I was working with the fuse an' wiring group, but the last of the trucks was just rigged."

Lucy looked back to the Colonel, who was also quietly appraising the new arrival. "Sure you're not needed elsewhere, Staff Sergeant?"

"Sounds like I'm more needed with them, Sir."

The Colonel nodded. "Good-go. But you get them back here as fast as you can, do you hear me? Last boat leaves at fourteen-hundred hours." With that the Colonel spun on his heel, and moved quickly through the crowd, back toward the docks.

The Sergeant turned back to Lucy and Rufus. "I couldn't help but overhear, and when the Colonel asked why you weren't armed….well, you seemed like you could use some help."

Rufus nodded, "Yeah, I'm a-" he glanced toward the ambulance parked by the OR doors, "-A mechanic….I never really have much call for shooting….anyone, much...well, not very often." He shrugged sheepishly at the man. "Rufus," he said, offering his hand. The soldier shook it.

"Nurse McRae," the woman behind Lucy offered.

"I'm Lucy, Sergeant," she said.

The soldier gave her a lopsided grin. "Good to meet you all, now let's go take care of this new mother, shall we? Oh-call me Sherwin."

Lucy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her-the shock at hearing _that_ name was so intense. _It wasn't possible, was it_? She looked at him again, the square jaw, the clear blue eyes…..

"Everything alright, ma'am?" he asked, the slight Texan drawl she had missed before now suddenly evident.

The timbre in that voice. That ma'am. _Oh god, it obviously was more than just possible_ …. Don't let your imagination carry you away, she chided herself. Afterall, Wyatt said he left right after Chosin. She collected herself—only to realize that the Sergeant was still staring at her, evidently expecting a response. _What was the question_? _Right—he'd asked her if she was okay_.

"Uh, yeah," she replied tentatively

He didn't look convinced.

 _Okay Preston, let's just test this crazy hypothesis of yours_. "Y-your accent," she said, where…..where are you from, back home?"

His blue eyes sparkling, he gave a light chuckle, that showed off two unnervingly familiar dimples. "Nowhere you've ever heard of."

 _Try me_ , she thought.

He shifted then, turning more fully to face her. "Tiny place in West Texas—just a couple 'a crossroads and one gas station."

She smiled, to hide her shock. She'd heard Wyatt describe his hometown using exactly the same phrase on several occasions. _Maybe her imagination wasn't so wild after all_. She searched for something to say, as one single thought raced around and around in her brain- _How was this happening_? Trying to control the shake suddenly permeating her voice, she replied the only way she knew how-with the same response she had given Wyatt on those same occasions. "One whole gas station," she managed, "Impressive."

Sherwin gave her a lopsided grin. "Though the last seven years or so I've really been from all over—wherever this man's army takes me, you could say." He continued to smile warmly at her.

 _How the hell was any of this real_?

"Lucy!" Rufus' shout drew her out of her thoughts, "You comin'?"

She realized that Rufus and the nurse were probably already half-way down the block.

She also realized Sherwin was now looking at her with real concern etched on his face….though that was probably because she was still staring at him. She forced her gaze toward Rufus-who was indeed half-way down the block-then back to Sherwin. "I'm good," she said quietly to him, "We're coming," she shouted back to Rufus-and then broke into a sprint to join him.

Lucy's mind buzzed as she followed Rufus back along the road toward the hut where they had left Wyatt. They were returning with help for Eung-Hee….and protection in the form of Wyatt's Grandpa Sherwin. _How was that even possible?_ Wyatt had said his Grandpa was injured, that he had left Korea before Hungnam….had something already changed in this timeline then? Something that put him here, now? Or had Wyatt's original memories been of an altered timeline? Or was it something less profound, like a confused memory passed down, a result of a war story version of telephone? _Who even knew anymore_? But one thing was clear to her-fate or providence….or _something_ had wanted Wyatt's Grandfather to find them.

She snuck a glance over her shoulder at the man loping easily to her side, scanning the horizon for any sign of danger….in exactly the manner she had seen Wyatt do the same thing, a hundred times before. And what would Wyatt think, to meet this younger version of his Grandfather? The man who had been such an influence in his life, the man he was fighting for….to make him proud. _What would Wyatt say to him_?

Her musing was cut short by a staccato of what could only be gunshots from the left. She heard Rufus shout, and then felt a heavy weight crush against her back, pushing her to the ground as she heard a _different_ gun fire repeatedly, this one from just above her ear. That noise was followed by a nearly deafening silence.

The weight pinning her to the ground lessened, "I think I got him," she heard Sherwin's voice come from above her. She opened her eyes. She was lying flat in the dirt, had obviously been pushed down by Sherwin because….someone had shot _at_ them. She pushed herself to her knees, concern for the rest of the group flooding through her

"Rufus!"

"Here."

She turned in the direction of his voice, to see him helping Nurse McRae up from the ground.

"We're good."

She turned back to look at the other side of the road where Sherwin was leaning over the prone form of a man. As though feeling her eyes on him, he turned toward her with a slight grimace. "Chinese," he said. He stood upright, scanning the area. "But he seems to be alone….we're still well back of their lines."

"A deserter?" Rufus asked, moving to stand beside Sherwin.

Sherwin nodded slowly. "Maybe." he bent to pick up the dead soldier's weapon, handing it to Rufus. "Just in case," he said quietly, then turned to look at Lucy. "You okay, ma'am?"

She nodded, standing to join the rest of the group.

"That was too close," commented Sherwin….I was afraid he'd hit you for sure." He glanced back down the road and scanned the horizon again. "Deserter or not, let's get out of here."

Lucy gazed down at the Communist Soldier, the previous moments racing through her brain. Because it had been _that_ close. If not for Sherwin….she could have been dead on a road in North Korea. Or perhaps Rufus, or Nurse McRae….or what might have happened if Dr. Hak had accompanied them? They _had_ been lucky…..if you believed in that kind of thing.

Sherwin glanced back toward Lucy, putting a hand on her arm. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "Thank you," she said.

He gave her a reassuring smile. Anytime, ma'am.

Deciding to leave further thoughts on the workings of the universe to a more opportune and less dangerous time, Lucy brushed the dirt from her legs and nodded back. "Let's go deliver that baby."

With that their small group was off again, racing past a collection of seemingly deserted buildings and fields, following the road back to where they had left the rest of their team. Lucy allowed herself a smile of anticipation again at the idea of Wyatt coming face-to-face with his grandfather, all while helping the woman who had protected her and Jiya at the church. She increased her pace, suddenly impatient to see him, knowing how close they were now.

Her field of vision was suddenly filled by a fiery blast-and she stopped in shock. As her brain caught up with her eyes she heard the reverberations of the explosion, saw the smoke pouring from the hill, the location of the hit-making it only too clear where the actual blast had occurred.

 _NO!_

"Oh my god-Wyatt!"

She started running, only barely aware of Rufus' strangled cry of "Jiya!" from behind her.

The panic rose in her chest as they drew nearer to the blast. _Surely it hadn't been that exact spot, surely it was her imagination running away from her again, it was further away, on the other side of the road, it was_ ….she stumbled to a halt in front of the building…. _it was a direct hit._ The building where they had just been….where Wyatt was….where she had left Wyatt….

"WYATT!"

 _No, no, no-not Wyatt. Not. Wyatt._ Images streamed through her mind-of things in the past, of things yet to come. To not see that reassuring smile, not hear his calming words-to have no understanding voice to share ideas with, no steadfast presence to share her life with…. No more warm embraces….no more laughter between them at the craziness of the world, or even shared laughter on those occasions that she proved coordination did not run in her family….

 _No more of his laughter._

 _No more of his love._

What was the point? If he was gone, what was left in her world to fight for? This didn't work without him. None of this worked without him! And he didn't even know-didn't even know what she thought-she'd never let him know that _he_ was what she was fighting for….for longer than she'd wanted to admit to herself. And he didn't know that, even after _everything_ that had happened between them, she was desperate to continue that fight. But, she _had_ let him believe that what they'd shared didn't matter to her….that _he_ didn't matter to her. To save her heart she'd acted as though Hollywoodland had never happened…. She'd let him believe that she wasn't _ever_ going to say those words back….god!

 _They'd squandered their time, and now it was too late._

She folded in on herself, feeling her resolve-her hope-crumble and fade as the cold truth washed over her….

"WYATT!"

"That was close, huh," a familiar voice fought its way into her mind, pushing away the despair. _Surely her imagination….wishful thinking_ …. With her last remaining ounce of hope she forced herself to look in the voice's direction….

He was there. He was safe. He was….holding a baby?

It's a girl, he said, locking eyes with her.

She couldn't remember ever having seen anything more beautiful. Joy and relief bubbled through her, bringing with them laughter, and tears. She registered that Jiya and Eung-Hee were safe as well, but found herself unable to take her eyes from _him_.

 _Because he was still here, she hadn't lost him_.

 _Hadn't lost his voice, his laugh, his love_.

 _It wasn't too late_.

A low voice from behind Wyatt broke her out of her reverie.

"Sorry we were late to help with the baby-but it looks like you have things well in hand."

 _Sherwin!_

She'd forgotten.

A broad smile crossing her face, she nodded at the approaching soldier and met Wyatt's eyes again. "There's someone here that you should meet."


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow, in the middle of this madness, they'd managed to catch some breaks.

Somehow, in the middle of this madness, he was starting to feel a spark of hope again.

Eung-Hee's labour had be brief, and mercifully uncomplicated, if you didn't count the explosion that had rocked the ground under their feet within moments of the little girl's birth. _Nothin' wrong with coming into the world with a bang_ , he supposed. Although the blast had thrown him to the dirt hard, Jiya, Eung-Hee, and her baby had remained safe. Even the shrapnel from the corrugated metal building that had been demolished somehow managed to miss them-the bigger chunks landing yards away, the smaller pieces obliterated into harmless dust. Somehow, the three of them-four of them in fact-had survived. They'd been lucky, if you believed in that kind of thing.

And now Lucy was back with him too, and she was safe, and that was what mattered. He had no idea how they were going to get back to the Lifeboat now….but as long as Lucy was okay, as long as they were together….he had hope that there was still a chance. Because Lucy didn't deserve to die here, not with everything he had already put her through, not with what Rittenhouse had put her through-and he pledged to himself to protect her-to do whatever it took to get her out of here….to get them all out of here, and to get his team back to their time.

He met Lucy's eyes, unable to control the broad grin that claimed him….not even wanting to control it. But then her eyes drifted away from his, to someone or something just behind him. Before he had the opportunity to turn, he heard a voice.

"Sorry we were late to help with the baby-but it looks like you had things well in hand."

 _That voice…._

 _There was something about that voice…._ The unmistakable West Texan accent was there, certainly….but there was something more there too….something that circled around in his brain, begging for his attention.

But he pushed the thought away. _The only things deserving of his attention right now were Lucy, and the baby_.

Then Lucy met his eyes again, now wearing a broad smile to match his. "There's someone here that you should meet."

He craned his neck to look behind him without jostling the baby too much, surprised to see a soldier-a sergeant-approaching them with purpose. Wyatt turned properly then, to better see the person who had spoken in that familiar yet different tone. He squinted as the soldier drew closer, taking in his features, his gait…. _It couldn't be._

 _It wasn't possible, was it_?

He glanced back at Lucy who gave him a gentle, knowing smile.

The soldier was standing less than a yard away now, actually there, in front of him. _And there was no mistaking who he was_. Wyatt suspected his mouth was agape in wonderment, but he couldn't seem to remember how to instruct it to close-his head was too busy spinning with the implications of it all.

Suddenly there was a woman standing in front of him- _a nurse?_ cooing to the baby and saying something about her mother wanting to see her. "Uh, right," said Wyatt, gently placing the baby in the nurse's arms, stealing another glance at the tiny thing and stroking her cheek softly with his thumb before he returned his attention to the soldier-all the while wondering if Connor Mason had devised any sort of protocol for _this_.

 _What the hell was he even going to say?_

Lucy cleared her throat, stepping closer and motioning toward him with her hand. "Let me introduce Master Sergeant Wyatt L- Uh…." she hesitated, but quickly recovered, "Our friend Wyatt."

The sergeant lifted an eyebrow briefly at the informal introduction, but then grinned, and stuck out his hand. "I'm Sherwin," he said, "Good to meet you,"

Wyatt hesitated for a moment, still completely unsure of how to respond. Deciding to start with the obvious, he shook Sherwin's hand. "And you," he replied, not trusting his voice to say much of anything else.

He saw Lucy smiling out of the corner of his eye. Her voice floated toward him, breaking through the confusion in his brain. "Sherwin came back with us from Hungnam, and the nurse too…." she trailed off, and touched Wyatt's elbow lightly. He pulled his gaze from his grandfather to look back at Lucy.

"He saved our lives, Wyatt. On the road-there was a Communist soldier who started shooting and….well, Sherwin saved us." she nodded slightly, as though to emphasize the point.

Wyatt looked back toward Sherwin-a rush of fear at what could have been, and then relief at what actually was-hitting him like a tidal wave. As it dissipated, it left only gratitude and love in its wake. It took him a moment to find his voice, "Thank you," he clasped Sherwin's hand again, "Thank you, for protecting them."

"You're welcome-glad I could help."

He watched as Sherwin's face changed, a smile playing at his lips as he glanced toward where Jiya, Rufus, and the nurse were helping Eung-Hee. "But you!" Sherwin clapped him on the back, "I hear you delivered a baby, in a war zone?" Sherwin's tone sounded incredulous, "While being bombed, no less? You got moxie, soldier!"

Wyatt shrugged slightly, "It wasn't a big deal," he said softly, "Didn't exactly have much of a choice."

The man's eyes narrowed then, in a face that was familiar to Wyatt-as a multitude of lessons had been delivered to him accompanied by that very face-and he felt ten years old again.

"Of course you did. There's always a choice-that's what defines a man after all-and you chose to help, to fight for someone else."

Wyatt desperately wanted to reach out then, to embrace this man who meant so much to him, the man he missed so….but instead he ducked his head to hide the tears he felt gathering in his eyes, and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Sir?" Sherwin laughed then. "I like the sound of that, a Master Sergeant, calling _me_ Sir."

Wyatt felt Lucy draw near again. "Well deserved, I'd say," she said.

He glanced at her then, not missing the slight shine that was in her eyes as well, "Definitely." he agreed.

A slightly disgruntled-sounding Rufus broke through Wyatt's thoughts then. "So are we really just gonna hang out here-is that the grand plan?" Wyatt looked to see Rufus walking toward them, while Jiya, the nurse, and mother and child waited at the edge of the road.

He turned toward Rufus, using the movement as an excuse to swipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "Nah, we got a family to reunite at the port, don't we? Let's go."

"Oh good," said Rufus, as they started moving back down the road, "I love a good family reunion. Plus, I really hate commie troops, so you know, it's win-win for me."

Wyatt heard Sherwin bark out a quick laugh as the soldier strode slightly ahead of the group. As he moved to match his grandfather's stride, Wyatt felt a small hand on his arm tugging him back and he paused, turning to see Lucy staring up at him with a slight smile.

"I love a family reunion, too," she said, as, faster than he could register what was happening, she raised up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. He stared at her, too overcome with the emotion of the past five minutes to form any kind of response. She grinned at him, and motioned with her head at the group that was now further away from them, continuing along the road. "So," she said softly, "That's Grandpa Sherwin?"

Wyatt looked down the road, and nodded slowly. "Sure is," he smiled.

"Your Mom's Dad, right?"

He nodded again. "Yeah-though she hasn't been born yet. Actually…." he thought back to conversations in his grandparents' home that seemed nearly a lifetime ago, "He and Grams aren't even married yet. That was after he got back from Korea-"

"Hey, you folk coming?" Sherwin had stopped a short way ahead of them, and was staring at them, shaking his head.

"Yes, SIR, Wyatt replied emphatically, and they both jogged ahead to catch up with the group.

The journey was uneventful-the roads and homesteads deserted. Perhaps ominously so-though Wyatt couldn't begin to entertain such feelings, not with his eyes trained on the soldier ahead of him-telling stories now to Rufus and Jiya, checking on Eung-Hee and the baby….there was simply no room for anything in his mind beyond the idea that he was here, with his grandfather….again.

Until the sight of a dark shape ahead of them in the ditch caused him to be nearly overcome by a new wave of emotion. A wave of emotion that turned into something closer to a brick wall, when, another step later, his mind supplied that the dark shape was indeed the body of a dead Communist soldier. _Lucy and Rufus_ …. He sucked in his breath, _if Grandpa Sherwin hadn't been there_ -

He was wholly unable to entertain the rest of that sentence, so he pushed the thought aside, and began moving forward again, attempting to catch up with his grandfather. A moment later he realized that he hadn't been successful in pushing the fear of what could have happened without his grandfather away, because it became obvious he was preoccupied. It became obvious because the feeling of a small, warm hand grasping his arm made him leap in surprise. He spun toward the pressure on his arm, "Lucy!" he said, happy to see it was her, but still confused and irritated that his preoccupied mind had allowed her to get that close without him noticing.

She motioned backward with her head, and he understood. He slowed his pace so that there was now a sizable distance between the two of them and the rest of the group….a distance that would allow them to talk, which was what he knew she was asking for.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Okay," he began, "I mean….I don't know. There's so many things I want to say…." he glanced down at Lucy, _to more than one person_ , he mused. "But I also don't want to come across as a crazy person…." he continued

She raised her eyebrows at him with a slight grin, "Why start worrying about that now?"

He searched his mind for an appropriate comeback, but then finding nothing but what looked a whole lot like affection in her features, he softened. Not wanting to over think anything, he merely smiled at her, "Yes, ma'am."

She paused for some reason then, peering up at him, seeming to appraise him for a moment before taking two hurried steps to catch up with him as they continued down the road. She sighed, "But there's something else."

He looked at her carefully. "Tell me."

She sighed. "I don't understand….why he's _here_. You said yourself that he was never here during the evacuation."

Wyatt nodded. "That's the story he told me."

"So what does this mean? Did we…. _change_ something? I mean, maybe not even on this mission, maybe something from a previous mission? Like a….butterfly effect thing?"

"Butterfly effect? You've been spending too much time with Rufus and Jiya."

She raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't going to drop this, and he knew it. "But what if that means he's not where he's supposed to be? And what if _that_ means he doesn't make it back to the States?" If he doesn't make it back to the the States….well….we'd be playing right into Rittenhouse's hands, wouldn't we?"

He was quiet for a moment, thinking through her questions, and then sighed. "Luce, if something we changed before this caused him to not get back to the States and marry my Grams….well we'd know about it already, right? We would'a figured it out as soon as we got back to the bunker from whatever trip was responsible. So we know that's not an issue. And if today really is different than before….then all we should need to do is make sure he gets on a boat."

He watched as she chewed at her lower lip, and knew that she recognized the logic as sound. "And as for why I remember a different story," he continued, "I don't know. Maybe Grandpa Sherwin changed his story for some reason-for my Grams' sake, or something? Or….maybe he didn't change his story at all, and it's something as simple as me just remembering it wrong."

She stopped suddenly then, grasping at his hand as though it were a life line. Stopping, he turned more fully to face her, sucking in his breath. Somehow, the simple action of her grabbing his hand had affected him as much as anything else on this crazy day. Ordering himself to breath again, he gently squeezing her hand back. "What?" he asked softly.

"Wyatt, what if Sherwin changed his story when he told you because he remembered today….like _really_ remembered today….as in recognized-you-as-you-grew-up and realized-your-name-was-the-same type of remembered. What if he thought, or _knew_ , that something was….up?"

Wyatt squeezed her hand again as he turned to look at the man in question, as the small group he walked with continued to move slowly down the dusty road, now entering the outskirts of Hungnam. The nurse and Jiya supporting Eung-Hee between them, Wyatt noted Sherwin was now holding the baby. He had no idea what circumstances could have lead to any of this... _but Sherwin_ _was here now, helping the team, had saved Lucy and Rufus from the Communist soldier….and maybe that was all that mattered._ He turned back to Lucy, allowing his eyes to linger on hers for a moment, and shrugged. "Maybe," he said simply. Then, gently tugging at her hand, said softly, "Let's go."

They started down the road again, Wyatt tried not to think too hard about the emptiness that permeated his whole body when Lucy released his hand, but instead focused on the thoughts still circling in his head...because there was something else, something niggling at the edge of his consciousness.

There was a sudden increase in people and animals and carts and vehicles and overall business that signaled that they had entered Hungnam proper, just as that _something else_ finally clicked into place in Wyatt's brain. A rickety rolling cart forced their group to pause ahead of them, and Wyatt dropped his voice as he and Lucy drew nearer to the others.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Hm?"

"I got another one for you. You know you actually introduced me to my grandpa, right?"

Her face looked quisical, "Well, sort of, I didn't mention the Logan part."

"Good thing too, since the Logan's lived just one concession over from him. But," he raised his eyebrow at her, "You did-"

Her eyes grew wide in understanding. "-Tell him your first name!" she finished. "You don't think-"

He smirked at her then, loving how even in a situation like this, even with the mess he had caused between them, they could still be on the same page in this way. "-That you may have inadvertently _named_ me, since Grandpa will no doubt tell this story to his kids? Yeah, I kinda _do_ think that."

"Oh no….but that's….that's not…."

He smirked at her, "We're in North Korea in 1950 on Christmas Eve with a refugee, a baby, and my Grandfather, except he's younger than both of us….so you better not say the word _impossible_ , Professor."

She closed her eyes and shook her head, "This job gives me a headache!"

He laughed lightly at her, and, in a moment of recklessness, reached for her hand-and was nearly bowled over when she once again accepted it. He allowed himself the briefest of moments to relevel in the feel of her hand in his, in the connection between them that he knew he didn't deserve, that she was surely only allowing because of the chaos of the day. He memorized the details of the way their hands fit together, not knowing when he'd have the opportunity again. But guilt started creeping in at the edge of his consciousness, as he knew he'd already taken too much advantage of the situation-taken too much advantage of her compassion-when he'd hurt her so badly. He gave her hand one more squeeze, then released it, nodding at her. "It's okay Lucy," he smirked at her, "I like my name."

He could feel his smirk broaden into a true smile as she chuckled, "I like it too."

Suddenly needing to talk to his grandpa, he raised his eyebrows at Lucy and motioned toward the rest of their group ahead of them, then trotted forward to walk beside his grandfather again, knowing she was following just behind.

"Okay Sherwin, quit hogging that baby."

Sherwin turned back to him with a wink, "Oh look, the big strong Master Sergeant reduced to porridge over a baby." But he paused, handing the tiny bundle in his arms over, as Wyatt drew alongside himr. "You know, back in double-ya double-ya two I saw a Major turn to porridge too because of a baby….a baby cow that was in this old barn that we'd hid in. Well, you see, we'd just left the main road at…."

Wyatt smiled and settled in to listen to his grandpa's tale, his gaze flitting between the baby and Sherwin, and occasionally darting back to where Lucy walked just behind them. He wanted to make sure she heard this story too-it was a favorite of his grandpa's, a funny story about camaraderie between soldiers with a heartwarming twist thrown in. It had been one of the first WWII stories Sherwin had ever told Wyatt when he was young. He glanced back again as his grandpa reached the first in the series of improbable misadventures that made up his story-Wyatt knew this part would make Lucy smile, and he wanted to see it-and he nearly stumbled in shock. Because she _was_ smiling….but not at his grandfather's story. She was staring at him, or more specifically at him holding the baby, with an almost wistful smile on her face, seemingly not even aware that he was now watching her. Not wanting to be caught staring, Wyatt forced his gaze back to his grandfather. _Was it just his imagination_? But no, it was another example of that _difference_ he'd noted in her since she'd returned to him, his grandfather in tow, earlier that afternoon. It was as though a wall had come down. She seemed less guarded around him then she had in weeks. And he didn't know what to make of it, and couldn't devote much time to it either. Not here anyway. Maybe later when they got back to the present…. _if they got back_.

His thoughts were interrupted by a bark of laughter from his grandfather-laughing at his own story. Wyatt grinned in return, and then, as he heard Lucy begin to laugh behind him, he joined in, not able to help himself.

Back at the port, Wyatt had relinquished the baby to her mother, and the nurse had found Eung-Hee a wheelchair, and brought her around the front of the hospital as the group started to say their goodbyes.

Lucy still sticking close beside him, Wyatt took a step closer to Sherwin as the man shook hands with Rufus, just before the pilot joined Jiya and the two of them stepped away to say goodbye to Eung-Hee.

Sherwin turned back toward Wyatt. "You are getting them all on a boat out of here, right?"

Wyatt nodded. "You're getting out too, right?"

"You better believe it! We rigged up every vehicle in town real good-it's gonna be one humdinger when she goes-fireworks on July fourth ain't never gonna seem the same-gonna look like nuthin' compared to it, I tell you….but I'd sure rather be seein' it from the sea than from up close.

Lucy smiled. "Agreed," she said. "I'm going to go say goodbye to Eung-Hee," she motioned in the direction of the rest of their group. "So you take care of yourself, Sherwin, okay?"

Sherwin nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Lucy caught Wyatt's gaze and grinned, then turned back to Sherwin. "And thank you-thank you for everything," she embraced him on the word 'everything', and kissed his cheek.

Sherwin's shock was obvious even to Wyatt-he supposed that wasn't something women you just met usually _did_ in 1950. When Lucy finally released him, her smile was bright, and she turned back toward Wyatt. "Now, I'm going to leave you two soldiers alone for a minute." And with that she turned and walked back toward the small group of people still gathered around the mother and new baby.

Sherwin turned, a slight blush still colouring his cheeks. "Couldn't help but notice neither of you are wearin' rings."

That….wasn't what he expected to hear his grandfather say right now.

"Better get your girl back home and get hitched, otherwise I might just hafta steal her away."

Now Wyatt _knew_ his mouth was agape. "What?"

Sherwin chuckled. "At ease soldier, I'm just raggin', not serious-I got my own girl back home.

Wyatt shoved his hands in his pockets, allowing his gaze to float to where Lucy was now making a fuss over the baby before turning back to address Sherwin. He sighed. "She's not my girl."

Sherwin's eyebrows raised, "You could've fooled me."

Wyatt shook his head. "No." He glanced at Lucy again, then at the ground. "I mean….once, maybe….but I screwed that up." He raised his head to watch as Sherwin looked back toward Lucy, then back at him. Sherwin took a step closer to him, and was now clearly scrutinizing him.

"You love her?"

Wyatt nodded. "She's everything to me….love of my life."

Sherwin whistled low. "Well then, better go fix it."

Wyatt scoffed, "I think it's too late."

Sherwin scoffed in return. "No," he said simply, "The way she was, after that blast, when she was worried you were gone. That, my friend, is a woman madly in love with you. It definitely ain't too late. If you love her, you fight for her, you make it right. It's that simple."

Wyatt stared at the dusty ground, his shame and guilt swirling. "You don't know….what happened, the hurt I caused her….that I'm responsible for. I don't know if it's that simple."

He nodded at him. "Trust me, Wyatt, it is."

There was a commotion then, off to the side, and Wyatt turned to see a small boy flinging himself into the arms of Eung-Hee, while Lucy was handing the baby to another man- _Eung-Hee's husband?_ -standing beside them.

"Well, would you look at that," Wyatt said, shocked to hear himself in stereo, as Sherwin said the same thing beside him. He looked at the other man, who laughed.

"Well, that's a happy family there, and they'll be able to leave this less-than-happy place together. That's what's important. I guess that's why we're here, isn't it? To make sure all these families stay safe."

Sherwin's statement caused an echo of Lucy's words from earlier that afternoon to niggle at the back of Wyatt's brain. There was something he still didn't understand. "Sherwin?" he asked, "Why are you here? I mean, how did you get here….it's mostly Marine Corps left here-you said you were Army."

Sherwin looked at him curiously. It was only then that Wyatt realized his error, and held his breath in anticipation of what came next.

"Did I?" Sherwin merely shrugged.

Wyatt exhaled.

"Well, I am Army-was with the 31st at Chosin Reservoir-task force 'Faith'." He glanced at the ground, "Course there weren't many of us left to keep that faith after…. But, we all moved south to Hungnam, like all the rest of the refugees. Most got on their boats in the early days of the evacuation, but some of our Army officers were assigned to specialized operations with the X Corps here-an' they were lookin' for volunteers with explosives knowledge…." He shrugged, "So I stayed a bit. Then, about a week ago, we were repairing this bridge, hours before we were to get on a boat and leave this place when outta nowhere there was shooting from our right-bullets started ricocheting like crazy off the jeep beside me. My buddy, he took a glancing blow on his arm-he was okay, it just grazed him-but he said…." Sherwin trailed off, then grinned at Wyatt and started again. "Well, you know what it's like when you're being shot at, right? I just thought I was real lucky not to be hit in the madness. But my buddy? He _swears_ that one of those bullets that ricocheted off the jeep went straight through me. But there I stood, without so much as a scratch," Sherwin's smile faded, then he looked back at Wyatt and shrugged. "Strangest thing. But, the incident did made me think about things."

 _Strangest thing_. Wyatt had heard this story before-except in the story he'd heard, the bullets had hit his grandfather's friend _and_ his grandfather-sending him to the hospital, away from the front. And he wasn't even going to contemplate what that timeline change _meant_ , at least not right now, not when he still had a few moments to talk to his grandpa again. "Made you think about what type of things?"

His grandfather winked at him, "Girls, for one." Then he gave a soft smile. "My girl, specifically. I've been travellin' around for years with the Army. Been too long. Soon as I'm home, I'm gonna ask her to marry me, have some ankle-biters….to build a family with me that I'll commit my heart and my life to."

Wyatt smiled and nodded.

"But that wasn't all that incident made me think about. Also made me think about what I should be doing while I was _here_ , in Korea, too. They made the call for my guys to get to our transport later that day, I actually had one foot on the dock when I saw an X Corps officer lookin' for more volunteers to assist with evacuating the civilians." Sherwin shrugged and looked at Wyatt, "I don't know, for some reason it just seemed like important work….it just seemed like this was where I needed to be."

"Fate," said Wyatt.

Sherwin barked a laugh, "My choice." He crossed his arms then, motioning his head back toward Lucy and Rufus. "So what's your story, then?"

"My story?" Wyatt repeated back.

"You're not with X Corps-I know that for a fact, and although I believe you for a Master Sergeant, you ain't got no insignia showing…. So what are _you_ doin' _here_."

Wyatt sighed, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. He didn't want to spin his grandpa a story….but how to explain? A giggle drew his attention back to where Eung-Hee was still hugging her family. It was Lucy's giggle, as she made faces at the newborn. _It really was that simple, wasn't it_? So he smiled, nodding toward her. "I protect them."

"Protect them?" Sherwin's eyebrows raised. "What, here in Hungnam, during the evacuation?"

Wyatt chewed at his lower lip and shook his head. "Anywhere," he paused, and smiled, "Any time."

His grandpa smirked then, a smirk Wyatt had seen on his own face….on that picture Lucy had of him on her phone. "Sounds like there's a story there."

Wyatt nodded. "There is," then smirked right back, "Probably too long to tell you about today."

Sherwin nodded. "Maybe another time, then, over a whisky."

Wyatt nodded, feeling tears threatening at the corner of his eyes again. "Maybe."

There was suddenly a heavy cacophony as metal gangways were being moved into place at the end of the pier closest to them. Sherwin turned to watch, then swung back around to Wyatt. "That is my cue to leave. Should be yours, too."

Wyatt nodded, suddenly wanting to say a million things, but only able to put words to one.

"Thank you-for your help. It's meant….well it means more to me than you'll ever know. And thank you for protecting them," he motioned toward his team with his head, "when I couldn't, today."

"Happy to help," Sherwin smiled, "After all, if memory serves, you were busy protectin' that baby." he shook his head fondly at Wyatt, and chuckled again. "Deliverin' a baby, in a war zone….with bombs goin' off."

Wyatt reached out his hand and his grandfather clasped it tightly. "Sherwin," he said, "Go get home safe, back to….back to your girl. Your family-they'll be lucky to have you."

There was a questioning look in the man's blue eyes for a split second, but then he smiled, releasing Wyatt's hand. "And your family will be lucky to have _you_." he said,

Wyatt nodded, and watched as his grandpa turned and started walking down the road, toward the pier. As the man reached the top of the stairs leading to the dock area, Wyatt dropped his head, and turned, ready to rejoin his team. It was then that he heard his grandfather's voice again, floating back at him from several yards away.

"Hey, Wyatt?"

"Yeah?" he answered, turning back and raising his head to meet his grandpa's eyes.

"In case no one else tells you this-you did good. You did real, real good."

Wyatt didn't try to stop the tears then, couldn't have if he'd wanted to, and raised his hand in farewell.

His grandfather nodded, and returned the wave of farewell, or perhaps, Wyatt mused, see you later, then Sherwin turned to continue his journey to the docks and to safety.

Wyatt sighed, and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He felt, more than saw, Lucy come to stand beside him. He continued to watch as Sherwin moved down the dock and toward the waiting ship, then along the temporary gang-plank.

"He's getting on the boat." he heard Lucy say softly beside him.

Wyatt nodded slightly, then turned to her, "And Eung-Hee, and her family?"

Lucy motioned down the path with her chin. "They're getting on the same ship-Eung-Hee's waiting to say goodbye to you."

He nodded. "I'll be right there." He brought his gaze back to the ship, watching as his grandfather boarded, his gaze lingering even as Sherwin's figure melted into the masses of people already on the ship, fading from his view. He exhaled and shook his head, knowing the tears were still falling, but not having a reason to stop them. "Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"That was my Grandpa Sherwin."

Before he knew what was happening, she'd taken him completely by surprise again-this time by throwing her arms around him and embracing him in a joyful hug.

Fighting against the shock, and the voice in his head urging him to question why she would do such a thing, he instead chose to relax, and hold her close.

Wyatt?" he heard her say against his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad to have met him."

He released his hold on her first, still unsure of where exactly their boundaries were today. It wasn't lost on him that she remained standing closer to him than was strictly necessary as he pulled his gaze away from her and back to the boat that his grandfather had boarded, watching as lines of refugees waited their turn to board their boat to freedom. Lucy's concerns from earlier that day flitted through his head-what if they'd changed things-what if he didn't get back to the States, what if he never married Wyatt's Grandmother? He scanned the large group of people still waiting to board. Somehow, even amid all the chaos and all the uncertainty, a calmness washed across him, and he _knew_ that Sherwin was going to be okay. He glanced over at Lucy, who was looking at him again, an inscrutable look on her face. Wyatt repeated his thoughts out loud. "He's going to be okay."

She nodded almost absently, also staring at the ship, until she brought her gaze back to him.

"And what about you?"

He tipped his head to the side, watching her for a moment before he gave her a gentle smile, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight before releasing it. "Yeah-I'm good."

She returned the smile, and nodded. "I'm glad." He watched as she glanced at the ground quickly, then brought her gaze back to him. "Reminded you what you're fighting for, did he?" she asked, that fond smile still brightening her face.

And he knew then that Lucy had spoken the truth about his grandpa reminding him what he was fighting for….though probably not in the way Lucy was thinking. He was happy if his actions would make his grandpa proud, of course, but that was no longer the main thing that he fought for. He fought for her, pure and simple. He was fighting for Lucy.

Grandpa Sherwin had said to fix it. And it really _was_ that simple. Wyatt had no idea if he could ever fix it-if he could ever atone for the pain he had caused her, or if he could ever convince her to truly trust him again….but he certainly was going to try. He would work to fix it….to show Lucy his love … all day, every day, for the rest of his life if necessary.

Who was still staring at him, waiting for a response.

"Yeah," he replied, "He did."

"Good," she gave him a fond smile.

And was it his imagination, or did something in her smile change then? Become almost wistful again? He didn't have time to analyze her expression longer, because she was speaking again.

"Today….it reminded me too. It reminded me what I'm fighting for."

 _Of course it did Logan, you're an idiot-why hadn't he thought of that already?_ Family reunions, lost relatives….all of these things would of course have made her think about Amy.

So he nodded at her, brushing his hand against her arm until he thought better of it, and dropped it by his side. "I'm sorry if any of that was difficult….and I promise you, as soon as we get back….we'll figure out how to save Amy.

She looked at him curiously, and then a look of understanding crossed her features. "No, Wyatt. I mean….it wasn't Amy that I was-

"Hey!" came Jiya's voice, shouted from somewhere behind them. Wyatt turned to see Rufus, Jiya, Eung-Hee, and family staring back at them from the lower road. "Some people around here have a boat to catch you know," Jiya continued, "And for some reason they want to say thank you to the baby-deliverer before they go!"

"Comin'" said Wyatt, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned back to look at Lucy. He was surprised to find her….laughing at him.

"Let's go….baby-deliverer."

He shook his head and stepped to the side, ushering her ahead of him with a wave of his hand.

"By the way, what else don't I know about you?"

And that had him laughing too. They were in a near impossible situation tonight, and he had no idea what the rest of this mission had in store for them-he didn't even know what the next hour held for his team. But they were _together_ , and he knew what he was fighting for.

Thanks to his Grandpa, that meant he had hope.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I had really wanted to meet Wyatt's Grandpa Sherwin in the movie, but since that didn't happen, I decided to write it instead! A huge thank-you to OnceUponAWhim for her beta and her good ideas on this one-particularly the idea about Wyatt's name being passed down! As always, spelling/typo errors are all mine! Also a thank you to Ned Forney's website, an excellent source of information on the inspiring Hungnam Evacuation. He is Col. Forney's grandson, he was also historical advisor for S2E12._

 _There is an ongoing debate in the fandom as to whether Sherwin is Wyatt's Grandpa's first name or surname...and you may have noticed I was intentionally vague throughout this story, so that either interpretation works. Personally, I think it's his first name-but I would *love* to be proven wrong if we get the chance to meet him in Season 3...preferably played by Mark Hamill...but I definitely wouldn't be picky about that!_

 _I will always love "Figure out what you're fighting for.", and I enjoyed being able to explore that idea in this story, along with some of Timeless' central themes of choice, destiny, and hope._

 _Thanks for reading - please leave a comment or two in the box, it really means a lot to me!_


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